Potatoes A La Bakery

Potatoes a la Bakery
Inspired by Laura Calder
Serves 6

3 Tbs Butter
1 Tbs Olive Oil
1 Yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 Purple onions, thinly sliced
2 lbs Red potatoes, sliced
1 Tbs Chopped thyme
1 Tbs Chopped chives
1/4 cup French fried onions
1 cup of Beef broth
1/4 cup of Parmesan Cheese
Salt & pepper

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.


In a saute pan melt the butter with the olive oil and the onions & cook for about 20 minutes.  Onions should be soft & translucent at this point. To the bottom of a deep casserole dish add half the onions. Add a layer of sliced potatoes, season with salt and pepper, and add half of the thyme, chives & French fried onions, and then repeat with remaining onions, potato & spice layer.  Take a spatula and pat the potato & onions layers down, ensuring a snug fit.  Pour broth evenly over the casserole. Cover the pan with foil, and bake for 2 1/2 hours, remove the foil from the top and bake another 30 minutes, remove from oven & sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and bake from another 10 minutes.  Enjoy!

This is such a tasty side dish.  I love to use it in combination with a crock pot entree.  It goes nicely with my Sweet & Spicy Pork Tenderloin.

The second set of layers

Awaiting the broth

The Finished Product - Potatoes a la Bakery



Bobby's Smoked Chile & Sweet Potato Gratin

The staple in our Fall CSA has been sweet potatoes. We love them!  It sounds crazy but the locally grown, organic do taste so much better than the grocery store variety.  We enjoy sweet potatoes all year long, but they do seem to be synonymous with Fall.   This was dish inspired by Bobby's Flay's Thanksgiving Smoked Chile Scalloped Sweet Potatoes - Enjoy!

Bobby's Smoked Chile & Sweet Potato Gratin
Serves 4

3 sweet potatoes, medium sized
1 1/2 cups fat free 1/2 & 1/2
1 Chipolte chili with adobe sauce, chili minced & 2 tsp adobe sauce
Salt & Pepper
1/4 White cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Peel & slice the potatoes thinly.  Whisk together the chili, sauce and cream. 
In a 9 x9 dish layer the potatoes, top with drizzle of cream and repeat until potatoes are gone (it could be anywhere from 8 to 10 layers) ending with drizzle of cream.  Season with salt and pepper every 4 layers.
Cover with foil & bake for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes remove foil and bake for another hour.  After 30 minutes remove from oven and with a spatula press down on the potatoes to ensure cream covering the top of the potatoes.  When done baking sprinkle with cheese and cover for ten minutes.  Serve & Enjoy!

A mandoline or food processor slicing feature comes in handy with this dish.  Next time I am going to top it with crumbled blue cheese and pecans.

Tanjia Ann's Pasta Salad

Tanjia Ann's Pasta Salad
8 oz vermicelli pasta
2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 Tbs creole seasoning
1/2 cup chopped of the following: celery, red pepper, black olives, & green olives with pimentos
1/4 cup chopped green onions
3 Tbs olive oil mayo
Salt, pepper and red pepper flakes

While bringing your salted pasta water to a boil, break the vermicelli into 1 inch pieces (smaller is actually better).  Boil the pasta for 6 minutes and drain immediately.  While pasta is still very hot add the olive oil, lemon juice and creole seasoning & toss well. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours (overnight even better).
Add the remaining ingredients, toss well and refrigerate for at least two hours before serving.

It only gets better with time.  I enjoyed this a few days later with a small can of tuna for a tasty lunch.

Perfect side dish to almost anything & would be great
with grilled chicken or shrimp for a complete meal

Sunday New Potatoes

Simple Sunday New Potatoes
Serves 4

1 pound small red potatoes
Salt & Pepper
Olive oil cooking spray
Creole seasoning
Cheddar cheese
Italian parsley, roughly chopped

Preheat oven at 425 degrees. 
Cook potatoes in boiling, salted water until they are fork tender.  Place the potatoes on your baking sheet and roughly break them up with a fork.  Spray them with the cooking spray and sprinkle with pepper & creole seasoning.  Bake for 25 minutes & remove from oven.  Top with cheese & parsley & bake 5 more minutes.  Serve & Enjoy!

Summer Squash Souffle

Summer Squash Souffle
Serves 6

2 pounds yellow summer squash, quartered and thinly sliced
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
Grey salt & black pepper
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1 cup light 1/2 & 1/2
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons flour
1 1/4 cups cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Dash of hot sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Add your squash, onion, shake of salt & pepper, & red pepper flakes to your stockpot.  Cover with the broth (and water if needed) so that all of the veggies are submerged.  Bring to a boil and allow the squash and onions to cook for 20 - 25 minutes, you really want the squash to break down.  Drain the squash and onions threw a fine strainer, add to a mixing bowl & mash well. Combine all of the other ingredients plush dash of salt and pepper with the squash, but reserve 1/4 cup of cheddar cheese.  Transfer to your baking dish and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove and top with the remaining cheese and bake for another 10 minutes.  Let is sit for 10 minutes before serving.  Enjoy!

Pink Eyed Peas

Pink Eyed Peas
Serves 8

1 lb fresh pink eyed peas
1/2 sweet onion, diced
4 strips of turkey bacon, diced
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
Pinch of grey salt
2-3 dashes of hot sauce

Heat a stock pot over medium high heat & add the bacon.  Cook, stirring occasionally for about 6 minutes.  Add the onions, allowing them to soften with the bacon, cook for another 6 minutes or so. Finally add the fresh peas & mix well with the onions and bacon.  Cover the peas with the 2 cups of the broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and add pinch of salt and hot sauce.  Allow them to simmer for an hour to an hour and a half, stirring occasionally and adding more broth when needed.  I suggest taste testing after 30 minutes, depending on the freshness they can be done this early and then other times it will take the full time.  Additional salt may be needed as well.  Enjoy! 

Roasted Farmers' Market Vegetables

Roasted Farmers' Market Vegetables

Now that I am on my easy & healthy kick, this just seems too simple.  Last summer I became overwhelmed  with complicated recipes for all of the fresh goodies CSA.  Wish I had thought of this then.
Simply pick what you like, rinse and toss with olive oil, salt, pepper and the herbs of your choice & roast in an oven at 400 for roughly half an hour.  Tuesday evening it was carrots, squash, mushrooms, tomatoes, & brocollini. The tomatoes & brocollini only needed about 25 minutes, but the rest stayed for closer to 40.  I tossed with cooking spray, gray salt & Herbs De Provence.  They made a perfect side to a grilled pork tenderloin with brown rice.  There is no excuse not to eat healthy with this one.  Enjoy!

Easy Clean Up too

Roasted Baby Carrots

Simple and delicious.

Roasted Baby Carrots 
Bunch of peeled baby carrots, tops snipped
Olive Oil
Sea Salt
Fresh Thyme

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place baby carrots on a cooking sheet lined with foil.  Drizzle olive oil over the carrots and sprinkle with salt and thyme leaves.  Roast carrots for 15 to 20 minutes until they are lightly browned.  Serve with a sprinkle of fresh thyme.

You can't get any easier than that.

Ready to go in the oven.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

I will completely confess that I had never, ever tried Brussels Sprouts until last year.  My parents didn't like them, and they kindly didn't want to inflict their children with them.  Then came this recipe.  So simple and delicious.

Elizabeth's Roasted Brussels Sprouts
1 to 2 pounds Brussels sprouts
Olive Oil
Sea Salt & Black Pepper
1 tsp fine sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Rinse and remove the stalk of the sprout.  Coat a black iron skillet with cooking spray and add the sprouts.  Gently toss with a drizzle of olive oil, salt, pepper and sugar. Toss well to insure complete coverage.  Cover the pan with foil and roast for 20 minutes, uncover and roast for an additional 30.  Remove from oven, toss & serve.

You could do these on a cookie sheet as well & I have used Truvia instead of sugar as well.

Nice dinner of grilled lamb chops, whipped potatoes, & roasted Brussels Sprouts

Peas with Pancetta & First French Friday with Dorie

I have joined the French Fridays with Dorie cooking group.  Every month four recipes from Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table are chosen, you prep them, blog about your results on Friday (hopefully this is the only time I break the rules) and read the results of others.  One stipulation is that you can not post the recipe; however after going through this book several times I can honestly say buy a copy - it is amazing. This week I choose Dorie's potato gratin.  It is sinfully delicious!!!

Dorie's Potato Gratin with Swiss cheese & thyme crust

We enjoyed the gratin with grilled fillets, Bearnaise sauce and peas with pancetta.  The peas are inspired by Ina Garten's recipe from her new cookbook. I  took it in another direction - hope you enjoy.

Peas with Pancetta
1 pound snap peas or snow peas
1/4 pound pancetta
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon Champagne Vinegar
Pepper
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Slice pancetta and brown in saute pan with a tablespoon of water.  When done transfer to plate with paper towels to absorb grease, cool, crumble and set aside.  Remove the strings from the beans.  I used a mix of sugar snaps and Chinese snow.  Saute peas with oil and vinegar over medium low heat for about 25 minutes.  Taste for doneness (trust me you will know).  Add pancetta and pepper, toss well and allow pancetta to warm up.  Add Parmesan cheese and serve 
The peas will turn more of a brownie green, but they are delicious. My picky husband loved them & the gratin!  I think I am going to see what the gratin tastes like cold...

Stuffed Baby Peppers...

This dish inspired me while I was running 6 miles on the treadmill in May.  Yes I watch Food Network as I workout!!!  I admit it & love it!.  Anyway gorgeous Giada was prepping her version of stuffed baby peppers and my mind started spinning.   She used peas, my husband doesn't do peas - I'll add spinach & turkey bacon rather than pancetta.  Anyway here is my version of Baby Stuffed Peppers

1/2 onion thinly diced & caramelized
3 slices of turkey bacon, crisply cooked & diced
3/4 cup of part skim ricotta
1/4 cup Parmesan & Romano Cheese
1 box frozen chopped spinach, thawed
Lemon Juice
Hot Sauce
Salt & Pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
20 sweet baby peppers
Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Add cooked onions. bacon, and spinach to mixing bowl - toss.  Add ricotta, cheese, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, & hot sauce to mixture.  Toss together. Remove tops from peppers and ribs from the inside.  Fill peppers with the spinach mixture with your  fingers & ensure mixture is in entire pepper.  Line in a baking dish and coat outside of peppers with PAM.  Bake 35- 40 minutes.  Serve & enjoy!  This is really a great side dish or even appetizer.  Just note it does take prep time.  I recommend if you are serving to anyone other than your family - Fix the day before (or at least before you get dressed) - will store perfectly in fridge cover in plastic wrap - just bring to room temp (about and hour) before putting in the oven.